Man Tries To Refuse Hospital Visit After Crash to Avoid Bankruptcy

A Loomis man without coverage says first responders forced him to the hospital after his motorcycle crash. Now he faces more than $40,000 in bills he doesn’t feel he should have to pay.

It was a cool summer’s day in August when Terry Barth was out riding his Harley in Plumas County. The winding country road in front of him took an unexpected turn. Thrown off his bike, Terry was roughed up and hit his head. When the paramedics arrived, he says he declined treatment.

“I said i told you i can’t go, I don’t have insurance,” he recalls.

Against his wishes, he says they loaded him up anyway.

“And I was still yelling the words in the ambulance, I can’t go. I told you I can’t go.”

Rushed to a hospital in Quincy against his will, doctors then loaded Terry into an air ambulance to Enloe Medical Center in Chico which was the closest trauma center. Terry learned he suffered a concussion and a broken bone around his eye. Against doctor’s orders, he walked out of the hospital and went home only to get slapped with bills totalling more than $40,000 for the care he says he never wanted.

This is the point that we’ve gotten to. People are afraid, after any accident, not of how it’s going to affect them physically, but that it’s going to bankrupt them, mean their kid can’t go to a good college. My wife has insurance and we’re dealing with the costs from her hospital visit because of the enormous red tape which the private insurers have no incentive whatsoever to help us through. The health care system in this country needs work, but the health insurance system in this country is broken.

The ACA was a baby step forward. In order to make real progress, the GOP has to either be reformed, or they have to be beaten in the individual states.

The guy did get on a motorcycle with no health insurance, so he got himself into that situation. It’s weird how the article says that the road made an unexpected turn, rather than the rider lacked the skills and awareness of his surroundings to handle his bike safely. Responders can’t just let someone walk away with a head injury, or they can have their lives wrecked, so the only person who could have avoided the whole situation was the negligent rider.

I sold my bike when I was out of work and uninsured, because riding it could have gotten me into a situation like this.

This idiot’s life hasn’t been ruined, he just needs to quit whining and pay his bill or declare bankruptcy. This is what happens when we don’t behave responsibly, but in America he won’t go to debtors prison, and instead will walk away from his debt if he lacks the means to pay.

It always cracks me up reading recommendations that if you think you have any of the symptoms of a heart attack, stroke, etc. go to the emergency room immediately!.

In a modern first world country that’s absolutely true. Here, even with insurance, you’ll hit your deductible in about four hours, then 30% of all additional costs come out of your pocket. It makes for a pretty expensive night on the town , so most people wait until they’re damn near dead before doing it.

The guy did get on a motorcycle with no health insurance, so he got himself into that situation. It’s weird how the article says that the road made an unexpected turn, rather than the rider lacked the skills and awareness of his surroundings to handle his bike safely. Responders can’t just let someone walk away with a head injury, or they can have their lives wrecked, so the only person who could have avoided the whole situation was the negligent rider.

I sold my bike when I was out of work and uninsured, because riding it could have gotten me into a situation like this.

This idiot’s life hasn’t been ruined, he just needs to quit whining and pay his bill or declare bankruptcy. This is what happens when we don’t behave responsibly, but in America he won’t go to debtors prison, and instead will walk away from his debt if he lacks the means to pay.

The thing is that bankruptcy can make it harder to get a job in the first place and it often forecloses any sort of management position as long as its on your credit report.

I just had a kidney stone. Never had one before, didn’t what was happen, so I called 911, ambulance, emergency room, cat scan. 5,000.00 buck. I got insurance, but still, I would have second thoughts if I had chest pains, as I would not want to over react.

The thing is that bankruptcy can make it harder to get a job in the first place and it often forecloses any sort of management position as long as its on your credit report.

I’ve been through a bankruptcy when I lost my job, my mind, and my house. There’s no stigma attached to it at all since the financial crash, and it didn’t cause me any trouble finding a good position as a developer / data analyst. Everyone involved with the bankruptcy process was very understanding and nice, and it was the first step in getting my life back.

I just had a kidney stone. Never had one before, didn’t what was happen, so I called 911, ambulance, emergency room, cat scan. 5,000.00 buck. I got insurance, but still, I would have second thoughts if I had chest pains, as I would not want to over react.

If your life is worth more to you than the contents of your wallet, you don’t screw around with chest-pains. My mother had no insurance and didn’t dial 911, so her fiance found her dead on her couch.

Sure, we can say it’s his fault all we want, but it’s not going to fix the systemic problem. And he can go bankrupt, but that still means that the taxpayers and patients who actually could pay are already subsidizing his care. The system is broken; he didn’t break it.

The insurance company pays a set price. This is part of why medical billing is such a nightmare.

When I had a routine surgery a couple of years ago, I got an infection so I had to stay in the hospital an extra week. I added up all the hospital and doctor bills, and they exceeded $100k before the insurance write downs.

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